Machine foe



w. BANHAM. MACHINE FOR GRINDING AND PULVERIZING QUARTZ AND AMALGAMATINGTHE PRECIOUS METALS.

No. 26,555. Patented Dec. 27. 1859-.

m l O /s" m: NuRms wzrzns co, PNOYO-LITHO. wnsnluamu mu UNITED s AWEN T I WILLIAM BAXHAM, OF SAN ri axoisco, CALIFOR IA.

MACHINE FOR PULVERIZINGQUARTZ.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,555, dated December 2111859.; 1 i i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WM. BaNHAmof San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Grinding and Pulverizing Quartz and Amalgamating the Precious Metals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, forming part of this specification, inthe several figures of which similar characters of reference denote the same parts.

Figure 1 is a top view of my quartz pul verizer and gold amalgamator. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same on line as, m. Fig. n

A, by means of thefismaller pulley, P, is;

3 is a perspective view of the pulverizing drag D. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the amalgamating drags D.

This invention has for its object the construction of a machine for pulverizing quartz and amalgamating gold, and its nature consists in a certain combination of devices to effect this object, the construction and operation of which are as follows.

The machine consists of a circular cast iron trough or dish, represented in the drawing by T, made in segments or sections, four or six segments completing the circle, hav ing flanges on each end of each segment on the under side, by which they are bolted together forming one continuous circle with out obstruction or unevenness on the inside; the latitudinal form of the trough being that of a true circle upon the bottom on the inside, and the line continued in an eccentric circle upon each side the outer flange being higher than the inner one. It has two square openings, 0, in the bottom upon opposite sides of the trough, closed whenthe quartz is being ground or pulverized by means of square cast iron shutters similar to a trap door, exactly conforming to the shape of the openings, coming flush with the inside of the trough, and suited in form to correspond with the circle of the trough. It also has a spigot hole 72,, through the outer flange, above the opening, 0, closed by a spigot when the machine is in operation.

Four cast iron drags or grinders D; made to conform upon the bottom with the inside of the trough, their sides coming nearly to the to of the flanges of the trough on each side, eing heaviest on the outside of the trough, and 'havin the forward end on the underside roun ed sufficiently to admit of aportion of the quartz being caughtbe? 1 tween the bottom of it, and i the inside 1 oft trough, thus reducing itto a.- powder 1; attached by studsand chains 0, tothe nds of four arms (a, of a spider as chds firmly keyed to an,.uprightishaft]1A, 1fUpon a this shaft is also another spider with fojjur 1 i. arms, lower down, to which, arexatjt lied .1 the dragsof the amalgamationtobefiherein; after described. Thelshaft,haswalsotwo pulleys. P, P, of jdifi'erentdiameterswby which to regulate its speed. 3 I H I The above described trough with its at tachments may be used either as ajpulverizerl 70.. or an amalgamator. V I i 1 Motion being given to the upright shaft thence communicated by meansof thespideri 3 S, and its arms a, to the drags D,fdrivingfl7 them around the troughat a speedsufficient 13* to insure a thorough and rapid pulverization i H of the quartz. There may be two scrapersff 1 attached to the inner flan e of the; trough and extending over it,fsufilcientlyj high'hfor. the drags to pass underpit, which serve to take from the top of the dragswhatever may ac- 1 cumulate on them, and throw it on the bot-j 3 tom of the trough directly under the suc Y1 ceeding drag. When the quartzhasbeen re-. 2 ,15 duced to a powder,the shutters or trapdoors 1 n of openings 0, are opened, and the action: of the dra s in a few minutestransfersflthe 1 contents of the trough to the amalgamator, beneath. When this part of the machineisf used as an amalgamator thejlarger. ulley a P, reducing the speed is employe and drags of the same sizeand form of those jde scribed are used, differing only ;in having, channels cut in thebottom to allow the pals-1, sage of quicksilver, that it may not bebroken and pass into the air in the forinz ofvapor, as is the case when there is no point under 1 the drag where it. can concentrateitself, H I The spigot hole 72 isonly used when a nualgamating, and then tojdraw ,offthewaste 5 the bottom, and the flanges on each side rise upon a circle of a larger diameter. The same number of dragsD, are used corresponding in shape to the bottom of the trough, but having longitudinal grooves or channels d, cut in the bottom to admit of the passage of quicksilver in concentrated masses passing under the drags, as shown in Fig. 4. It has the same number and shaped opening 0', in the bottom to draw off the mass when amalgamation is completed, and is arranged with spigots h, to reduce the waste portion, as above described in the upper trough T. r

The great advantage of this trough for amalgamating consists in having a much larger amalgamating surface obtained by forming the bottom horizontal instead of upon a circle.

The drags or amalgamators D, are driven by means of the larger pulley P, at the re duced speed of about five revolutions per minute, which has been ascertained to be best suited for amalgamating.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim The circular troughs T, T, constructed as described, in combination with the drags D, D, at the extremities of the radial arms a, the whole constructed and operated substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

WM. BANHAM.

WVitnesses:

J. D. STEVENSON, WM. G. WOOD. 

